Lucknow: Union Minister for Human Resource Development Murli Manohar Joshi on September 27 defended Uttar Pradesh government for refusing to issue a fresh notification in the Ayodhya case, saying that it was based on the advise of legal experts.

The case in this connection was going on in two different circles and the CBI too had the option of proceeding on the issue the way it wished, Joshi, who himself is an accused in the Babri mosque demolition case, told reporters in Lucknow.

On whether the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) would accept the court verdict in this connection, Joshi said both the BJP and the NDA (National Democratic Alliance) have clearly stated that they would abide by the court decision and there was no deviation on this count.

On the disinvestment issue, he said none of the Union Ministers had opposed the disinvestment policy. However, everybody was of the view that the matter should be reviewed for which Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee has postponed the disinvestment of the oil sector for three months.

Joshi said Bahujan Samaj Party's invitation to Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani to address the 'dhikkar rally' would go a long way in strengthening ties between the two parties and also improve understanding among the coalition partners.

He added that the state party workers were consulted before Advani accepted the invitation.

Joshi said the controversy over the syllabus had come to an end after the Supreme Court decision but added that the government was open to suggestions for further improvement in the syllabus.

PTI